Kruger's international resume is pretty impressive, as well. He captured a gold medal with Team Sweden (and teammates Elias Lindholm, Victor Rask and Joakim Nordstrom) at the 2017 IIHF World Championship. He's also medaled with the Swedish national team at the 2016 World Cup of Hockey (bronze), the 2014 Winter Olympics (silver), the 2011 IIHF World Championship (silver) and the 2010 World Junior Championship (bronze).
There is leadership inherent in a winning background, too.
"It's very new now. If you look at the lineup, it's a little bit younger than in Chicago. I'm probably one of the older guys now, and that's a little bit different," Kruger said. "I'm just going to come in, be myself and help out in whatever way I can to help the team be successful. That's my mindset."
"For us, it's the leadership and on-ice ability to show guys what it takes to be part of a team, how the team is first and foremost the most important and how when you get everybody buying into that, you have a much better chance of being successful and winning," Francis said.
Kruger, 27, isn't going to be relied upon for consistent point production - he tallied five goals and 12 assists in 70 games in the 2016-17 season - but he remains an extremely valuable player for his defensive acumen. The Swedish center thrives as a penalty killer and, with a 52.3 percent even-strength faceoff win rate in 2016-17, is often turned to in defensive-zone draws. And, as
Mark Lazerus noted
, Kruger was on the ice in the final minutes of both the 2013 and 2015 Cup-deciding games; as far as defensive responsibilities go, the stage doesn't get any bigger.
"He got a lot of tough assignments and handled those extremely well," Francis said. "I think it shows some maturity of him as a person and player to be able to play in different ways and styles."
"You always want to do as much as you can to help the team out," Kruger said. "I certainly want to take a step and get better and better. I'm going to go there, do my best and take the opportunity that's given."
All for the meager price of a fifth-round draft pick, the Hurricanes solidified their depth down the middle and in the faceoff dot, added a valuable penalty killing piece to already one of the league's best units and brought in another player who understands what it takes on and off the ice to be successful.
"We like him as a player. We like him as a person," Francis said. "We like what he brings to our organization as a leader, as well."
"I got a real good feeling about everything," Kruger said. "I'm happy and excited to be a part of this organization."
